nt and linked it to his bank of america bank account to help free up plenty of time for the here and now. that's the wonder of streamlined connections. that's merrill edge and bank of america. special edition of "newsroom." i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington where we are all focused this hour on is the victims of the navy yard massacre. " some identified just moments ago. we're also getting new information about the gunman and the pressing question, how did a man with a violent past get security clearance into such a sensitive military site? here's what we know right now. the shooter, 34-year-old aaron alexis, was involved in eight instances of misconduct while serving in the u.s. navy. he had been arrested at least

three times, two of those incidents is involved guns. yet, he was, after all, honorly discharged from the navy reserves back in 2011 after what the navy described as "a pattern of misconduct." authorities say all 12 of the people killed were civilians or contractors like the shooter. none was military personnel. police just released the names of all of the people killed. they ranged in age from 46 to 73 years old. we're piecing together everything we're learning about the gunman and also seeing quite a contrast. a man who studied languages and meditated and a cold-blooded killer. pamela brown has details on the investigation. >> reporter: law enforcement officials say 34-year-old i.t. subcontractor aaron alexis entered navy yard building 197 legally, but the valid military-issued i.d. and an intent to kill. his motive unknown.

>> we're looking to learn everything we can about his recent movements, his contacts and associates. >> reporter: a picture is emerging of a complicated man who spoke several languages and worshipped at this buddhist tempbal. >> it's incredible this is happening because he was a very good natured guy. like i said, it seemed like he wanted to get more out of life. >> reporter: other times he could be explosively angry. >> he might be a little bit angry sometimes, but i don't believe he's going to kill -- i don't believe it. >> he was born in queens, new york, joined the fave as a reservist in may, 2007. according to pentagon officials, he was discharged in january, 2011, following a "the pattern of misconduct." what's it's unclear what that was, he did have several run-ins with the law. he was arrested for shooting out the tires of another man's car. his father said his son was suffering ptsd after helping

post-9/11 rescue efforts at ground zero. in 2008, cited and briefly jailed for disturbing the peace in georgia and arrested again in 2010 for discharging a gun in public income fort worth, texas, where he lived till recently. never charged in that case. he had been staying at this hotel not far from the navy yard since last week and the law enforcement source tells cnn alexis recently purchased one of the guns used at a gun store in virginia. he also passed two security clearances last september and this past july before starting work at the navy yard. ice violent rampage has left his family deb stated. >> it's very hurtful. our hearts are going out more to the victims, the people that got hurt. more. lives lost, we don't need that right now. >> pamela brown is joining us now live. pamela, you have new information on the weapons that were used? >> we do, wohl.

we do have new information. we've learned from law enforcement sources that the gunman in this case brought in a shotgun to the building yesterday before the shooting. there were three weapons recovered from the scene. we believe a shotgun and two bilthss according to law enforcement sources. we know that atf has traced a firearm in the shooting and according to law enforcement sources, this gunman tried to bite that the shotgun, bought the shotgun at a gun shon in the lorton, virginia. also we have learned from sources that he rented an ar-15 and then returned it at a gun range in that same place in lorton, virginia, but we've also learned from susan candiotti he actually tried to buy that ar-15, but was turned away. according to sources, that has to do with the gun laws for why he was able to buy a shotgun there but not that assault rifle. wolf? >> what else are you learning about the shooter's mental health? there's a lot of questions on that part of the story.

>> reporter: that's a good question. we're still trying to piece together the full picture here, wolf. but in talking to law enforcement sources, it's clear this gunman had a history of mental health issues starting years ago in 2004. his father reported that he suffered from ptsd and then we've learned just recently he visited two veterans affairs hospitals and it's believed that he visited those hospitals for psychological issues. we don't know more details right now. as we speak, investigators are trying to look at the circumstances surrounding that. they're also processing 13 crime c scenes at this hour using expertise bullets trajectory analysis, crime scene mapping, trying to piece together how the shooting unfolded yesterday monk. wolf? is. >> pamela brown reporting for us just outside the washington navy yard. thanks very much for that update. the secretary of the navy ray may business is ordering a full safety review of all navy and

marine corps installations in the aftermath of yesterday's shooting. lawmakers also want answers about security at other military facilities. some of them are citing a new inspector general's report that shows the navy in particular had some security lapses even at the navy yard here in washington, d.c. a top republican in the house armed services committee says the report pointed out the safety risks for people who work at these sites. >> shortly after this event, this tragedy occurred, an inspector general report was delivered to congress that is cited failure across the navy security system for access to these type of facilities. it said that in the inspector general report that the people who worked there were at risk and in fact, cited 52 felons able to get through the system inappropriately. it said that the system that was currently utilized by the navy did not meet federal or dod standards and it actually made a recommendation that the system

that the navy was deploying immediately cease to be used. this is obviously of great concern. we sent a letter to the inspector general asking for the report to be made public to congress so we can begin the process of reviewing, did this contribute and did this have an impact on what occurred yesterday. >> the suspect in this case was a military contractor and a lot of people are now asking questions about why private contractors are allowed access to some highly secure facilities. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is joining us right now. barbara, how does a man like this get, a, to be a military contractor, and get this high security clearance despite what we have learned over the past 24 hours, a lot of misconduct allegations and actual arrest suggestions, as well. >> well, that's right, wolf. you know, in these cases, it's something obviously went terribly wrong here. the determination has to be made what happened.

was there some actual failure in the system where it should have been spotted that there was this background information on him. and it was not. he by all accounts, he was never convicted of a crime although he had several run-ins with the law. it will have to be determined by investigators weather any of this might have legally kept him from getting a security clearance. this is a terrible incident. no one's excusing any of it. but let's remember, there are hundreds of thousands of contractors that have security clearances. edward snowden who leaked the nsa information, he had a security clearance. this isles becoming a very fundamental issue about how the government functioned. it can't function without contractors. that's a reality. so now the question is, if you're going to have so many contractors, are the rules tight enough for the people who get these security clearances? does the government know enough about them? >> do the contractors get their

security clearances from government officials or from other contractors? >> well, look, a security clearance comes essentially from the united states government because it is clarent to be in a classified work space or get access to documents classified, all of it by the u.s. government. now as a contractor, he may have worked in a program that was run by other contractors, but his clearance would have gone through. some type of system sanctioned and approved by the navy, by the u.s. government. the congressman's raising the question were these government systems sufficient and a lot of questions being asked about that, wolf. >> i've heard reports, i don't know if it's true that sometimes the government actually contracts out the granting of security clearances to some contractors. i just want to make sure we have accurate information on that. and very quickly, he got an

honorable discharge even though he was cited for misconduct eight times while he was in the u.s. navy. why didn't he get a general discharge or for that matter a dishonorable discharge. >> here's what the navy is telling us about all of that. there were eight cases of misconduct while he served in the military ranging from unauthorized absences to disorderly conduct, that kind of thing. there were the civilian cases of these alleged gun offenses, but he was never convicted of any of that in the civilian world. the navy could not use that as evidence against him to discharge him from the military service. so basically they had no choice but to result to an honorable discharge. >> that's confusing me because he was cited for eight cases of misconduct while in the navy. forget about what he was doing as a civilian. >> but wolf, what the navy is telling us, i want to clarify for viewers and for you, those

eight cases in which he was cited for misconduct can, the navy says, the military says did not rise to the level of discipline that they could have legally given him a dishonorable discharge or even a general discharge. the way the rules were written, it was not as serious as it might sound. they didn't have the evidence to give him anything less. wolf? >> i suspect they're going to be reviewing all of that right now in the aftermath of what we know. there's a lot more to the story, i am sure. thank you very much, barbara star at the pentagon. we're also learning a little more about the victims of the navy yard saluting. they were civilians. they were contractors, just starting their day. :20 a.m. eastern at the massive military compound here in the nation's capital. 12 lives cut short last night, a candlelight vigil was held in washington's plaza to remember them. authorities have now released the names of victims ranging in age from 46 to 73. once again, none were military

personnel. i want to read the names and ages to you right now. michael around, 59, sylvia frazier is, 53, kathy gaard, 62, kenneth proctor, 46 is, john roger johnson, 73,ing frank color, 50, vishnu pan dit, 61. arthur daniels 51, mary francis knight, 51, gerald l. read is, 58, martin bodrog is, 54. and richard michael ridgell, 5 2g years old. our deepest condolences to their families and their friends. anncr: expedia is giving away a trip every day.

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will hold a news conference 2:00 p.m. eastern later today. the latest on the navy yard shooting, the fbi the lead agency in this investigation. of course, we have live coverage here on cnn. stand by for that. the fbi news conference 2:00 p.m. eastern. much more on the story coming up this hour, as well. right now let's get an update on what's happening in syria only days after russia and the united states reached a deal on getting the bashar al assad regime to give up its chemical weapons. they're squabbling right now over the details. at a news conference today the russian foreign minister sergey lavrov rejected any u.n. security council resolution authorizing the use of force against syria. the u.s. and france want to keep it out there as an option. meanwhile, the united nations says the evidence is clear and convincing, sarin nerve gas was used on august 21st in syria.

monday's u.n. report also says the attack was the most significant one using this kind of chemical warfare since iraq used it against its own citizens, the kurds in 1988 and against the iranians with whom they were fighting a war. the u.s. says at least 1400 people were killed last month outside damascus. the united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon says whoever used the poison gas committed what he calls a war crime and must face justice. the u.n. security council, by the way, will meet later today to discuss what's going on. meanwhile, the former president, bill clinton, is explaining the obama administration's policy on syria. president clinton sat down with our own fareed zakaria for an exclusive interview. they covered a lot of stuff, including politics, the economy, the state of the democratic party. hillary clinton's future prospects as far as a presidential candidate is concerned. president obama calls the former secretary -- i should say the

former president the secretary of explaining stuff, as you well remember. listen to him talking about president putin and who gets credit for any syria deal. >> president clinton, you've seen the agreement that the united states and russia have reached on syria. you've heard some of the criticisms. what do you think of it? >> first of all, i think if it is implemented, big if, it is a good thing. and i agree with the president, secretary kerry and everybody else that's been involved in this that the united states needs to stand strong against chemical weapons against the proliferation and use of them. now, there are some who say, well, you know, this gives the initiati initiative, and who cares how it came up.

>> fareed is joining us now from new york. fareed, obviously it's a messy road out there and the devil is always in the details, but what do you make of this deal that the u.s. worked out with russia? >> i think that -- and this is something president clinton emphasized when we talked -- there is a big upside here we're not thinking about. first of all, it really has mobilized the world's attention on this issue of chemical weapons. secondly, remember, we didn't have any prospect of getting anywhere before this deal. syria had not even acknowledged they had chemical weapons. the russians were not going to pressure them. now syria is acknowledging them, the russians are pressuring them. it brings them into as clinton said the world of transparency and inspections. of course, they'll play a cat-and-mouse game and this will be very tough. it would have been very tough anyway and the strikes would never have done anything about the arsenal. remember, that's the most

important thing. the strikes were really just punishment. this deal has the prospect of actually removing the chemical weapons. it may not be all of them. it may be a long and complicated game, but i think if you're really concerned about chemical weapons, rather than using a military strike simply as some kind of punishment, far better to get some kind of inspections process going which actually gets us moving forward. >> let's say the syrians start cheating or trying to hide conceal, they don't live up to their part of this bargain. would you think it would be necessary for the president still to go back to congress to get a formal authorization or do you think he would just go ahead and launch some air strikes? >> what i think he should do is not go back 0 congress. i think that this is the one bad precedent he set. it is a diminution of american presidential power. i pointed out to the bill clinton when he did desert fox

which was is four days of air strikes on saddam hussein, he didn't ask congress. president reagan invaded grenada and didn't even inform congress, let alone asking. i'm not skuging that, but i think that by doing this detour to congress, particularly to a hostile house of republican -- house of representatives who is republicans, he places himself who issage to very political forces. i don't think that's a good idea. now, what he will in fact do, i think it's tough having once said that you need congress's approval to now say you don't. so it's difficult to tell what will political calculation he'll make. if i were advising him, i would say still the best thing to do if he feels that syria is seriously violating an agreement they have come to present the congress and the american public with a fay ta come employee of limited military strikes. >> i suspect that's what he would do because tllds be a great possibility at least in the house of representatives, he couldn't get the votes, the 217,

218 votes he would need. that would be hugely embarrassing to this president of the united states. fareed, thanks very much. >> as always, wolf. you can see fareed's full interview with bill clinton on "fareed zakaria gps"ing this sunday 1:00 p.m. on eastern on sunday. don't miss it. we'll get back to our top story right now. the investigation into the navy yard shooting, major events across the nation's is capital were the canceled yesterday including the washington nationals baseball game. up next, we're live outside washl nationals park as they prepare for today's doubleheader. [ sneezes, coughs ]

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>> many parts of washington, d.c. went on lockdown yesterday, major events were canceled or postponed including the opening game of the highly anticipated atlanta braves, washington nationals series. take a look at this map. you'll see that washington nationals park is just a short walking distance, only a few blocks from the navy yard and is the shooting scene.

as many as 40,000 people would have been making their way to the stadium for yesterday's game. renee marsh is over at the stadium right now. they're getting ready for a doubleheader beginning at the top of the hour. i understand, renee, that the game will have some special moments as a result of what happened yesterday. >> reporter: yeah, slew, wolf. i was out here yesterday, and i'll tell you, things look a lot different outside of national stadium here. it looks like a baseball stadium. yesterday, just 24 hours ago, this was the staging area for all of the people who worked on that navy yard campus. they were being shuttled here to reunite with family. fast forward to today, that makeup game will be happening in just about a half hour from now. there will be a moment of silence and we know that the players will be wearing special patriotic jerseys. we also butched into a couple of fans. they were slated to attend a game yesterday. of course, that got postponed.

how do you feel, tonya french that you'll be in there and able to be a part of this moment of silence? >> it's great to be a part of the moment of silence. i mean, we're so close walking up here. you're staring at all the areas that the news cameras were at yesterday. it's surreal. i'm glad to know that's something we'll do being so close. >> thank you so much. wolf, you mentioned it at the top. we now know the flames of the victims and we're starting to learn a little bit more about them. like for example, 62-year-old kathy gaarde pictured here with her 94-year-old grandmother who she cared for before she passed away just last year. she was a mother, she was a wife, she loved animals, hockey. as the day goes on, of course, we'll learn a lot about those victims and they'll be remembered here right at nationals stadium when things kick off about a half hour from now. >> thanks very much, renee. our heart goes out to that family, all the families of the victims.

we have much more on the navy yard shootings coming up. there have been at least 19 mass shootings in the united states since 2009. up next, how president obama has repeatedly assumed the role of comforter in chief for the nation. the secret is out. hydration is in.

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welcome back to this special edition of "newsroom." i'm wolf blitzer in washington. we have live coverage of the washington navy yard shooting, the rampage that left 12 people dead, eight wounded. right now, only forensic teams and a few essential employees are actually being allowed inside that military installation where the massacre happened yesterday morning. investigators are asking questions, they're taking measures. they're sifting through information. authorities say no military personnel were killed. all 12 people who died were civilians or contractors like the shooter and they ranged in age from 46 to 73 years old. the victims are being mourned by loved ones. they are being honored by lawmakers. the senate observed a moment of silence earlier today. this evening, the house of representatives will do the same. it has become a sadly

familiar ritual. president obama trying to comfort the nature in the aftermath of a deadly shooting. yesterday he had to do it again speaking brieferly about the victims of the shooting. he called them patriots. >> these are men and women who were going to work doing their job protecting all of us. they're patriots and they know the dangers of serving abroad, but today, they faced the unimaginable violence that they won't have expected here the an home. >> let's bring in our chief political analyst gloria borger here with me. gloria, it's become very familiar for this president over the past four and a half years trying to comfort the nation. >> sadly it has become familiar. you go back to 2009, you had ft. hood, tucson with the gabby giffords shootings. you are aurora, colorado, new 2001 in 2012 also.

presidents are also the pastor in chief to a certain degree. but i think president obama has had to do more of his share of this. as a result, he's been talking about gun control and trying to deal with that. of course, he hasn't been able to do it. so what i think we saw on his face yesterday was a sense of sort of frustration which is sadly, again, i'm having to do this. >> you know, yesterday he was scheduled to give a speech on the fifth anniversary of the collapse of the economy basically and how the economy has improved over the past five years. he delayed it for about an hour. he eventually did it. he opened with those remarks about what happened in the shooting. but then he went on to severely criticize the republicans and he's being criticized himself today for maybe miscalculating suggesting maybe he shouldn't have done it. >> i think it's really hard and i this i either you do it or you don't do it. i don't think there would have been any problem in putting off that speech for a day or two and saying you know what, today we have to take a moment and think

about the people at the navy yard. we have to think about what's going on there and then come out into the rose garden maybe later this week or next week and talk about the economy. it's clear the president was trying to take a pivot. he also talked about syria. you know, you muddle your message, wolf. and i think the public was really focused on what was going on at the navy yard, and as a result, i think everything he wanted to say on the economy kind of gets lost, and he looks kind of discordant. >> we'll continue this conversation later in "the situation room." thanks very much. here's more of what we're working on this hour here in the "newsroom." we have new details from the united nations report on the use of chemical weapons in syria, including the size, the shape, the direction of the weapons. the forensic evidence of the attack. that's coming up. also, much more on the washington navy yard shooting. a writer and a performer. ther, i'm also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers.

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let's get more on those u.n. weapons inspects are report on last month's chemical weapons attack in syria. the u.n. says it's the worst use of mass chemical weapons in the 21st century. david kay is joining us here in washington. you know, i want to get to this report in a second. you have security clearances. i'm sure you have top, top, top secret security clearances. i was talking with barbara starr earlier about contractors getting security clearances from other contractors supposed to government officials. you know something about this. >> well, the background checks, all the work that leads to a conclusion that you should or should not have a contract has been outsoured for a number of years to do the work. >> outsourced to other contractors. >> to other contractors. >> it's shocking to me they

would trust contractors to give security clearances. >> part of the washington ethos belief in the air is that contractors are cheaper than federal employees. a, i doubt that is true. but there are a lot of work contracted out these days. >> talk about the u.n. report. walk us through the highlight. what was the most important thing that jumped out at you. >> a, that sarin was much better than the iraqis had used. it was weapons grade sarin. the amount, one warhead contained as much as 56 liters. that's 15 gallons, about 150 pounds of sarin. the timing of the attack was absolutely professional. you want to use chemicals either in the early morning hours preferably or late in the evening because it's heavier than air and goes where the people are hiding. actually, the most surprising thing i think surprising to the russians, the inspectors were able to get the azimuth of two of the warheads.

the path they flew. it only takes basic trigonometry. it goes back to a government military base. >> there were two types of rockets used. >> yes, one was russian. that's one with the labeling. that's a relatively small one, probably no more than nine liters in that one. but there was one designed, well-known as a rocket. it's designed by the iranians. who knows who produced it. but it contained this much larger and actually crude but clever warhead around it. >> it left no doubt to me who was responsible, although the u.n. inspector's report itself, they could not say who did it. that wasn't their mandate. >> the reason they couldn't say is the security council said that's not your job. what they did very cleverly is give you thes azimuth of two o

the warheads. >> the chances the rebels were the ones insist as the russians insist and putin in the article in the "new york times," he said the rebels did this, the chances based on forensic evidence, everything saw in this inspectors report says to you it was carried out by the government. there's no doubt about this. you would have to believe that the rebels operated inside a very tightly crowed syrian military base with very large rockets. and fired at multiple positions and had access to probably 350 liters of sarin, not possible. this was a government carried out attack. >> the russians and syrian regime continue to insist it was the rebels. everybody now know the truth. >> i don't think that gebs them any more credibility. >> david, thanks very much. families have been fleeing the civil war in syria since it began. refugee camps have sprung up in neighboring countries. in today's impact your world, unicef ambassador lucy liu sends out a call for help for children

who have left their homes. >> hi, i'm lucy liu. and we can make an impact for syrian children. there's civil war going on that is creating absolute pandemonium. people are fleeing into lebanon, into jordan, into iraq. these children are suffering. they have lies, scabies, and they've lost families. they can't go to school, not get medical attention they need. there's going to be a lost generation of children if this continues. children deserve to have a childhood. what happens on the other side of the world isn't just their business. it's our business. we share the same water, the same environment. if we understand that, we are actually one community. then it makes the world so much smaller and much more tangible for people to understand. unicef is desperate for donations to syria. it's our duty as human beings to give back. join the movement.

impact your world. cnn.com/impact. >> go ahead, do it. good idea. thank you, lucy. investigators have recovered three guns, three guns from yesterday's shooting rampage. we're taking a closer look how many weapons the shooter actually had access to. we'll speak to senator richard blumenthal who earlier this year wanted universal background checks after the tragic mass shooting at the sandy hook elementary school in connecticut. [ female announcer ] we lowered her fever.

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[ female announcer ] only aveeno daily moisturizing lotion has an active naturals oat formula that creates a moisture reserve so skin can replenish itself. aveeno® naturally beautiful results. the shooting rampage at the washington navy yard yesterday sadly just the latest of many massacres across the country in recent years. get this, there have been more than 200 mass killings in the united states since 2006. a mass killing is the murder of four or more people. each shooting spree reignites the gun debate in the united states. here we are once again. 12 people were killed by a gunman here in washington yesterday and lawmakers are

demanding action. senator richard blumenthal of connecticut is joining us from capitol hill right now. thanks very much, senator, for joining us. i know you're a member of the senate armed services committee, and lots of questions about these military contractors getting security clearances and than other contractors may be giving them these security clearances. i assume you're outraged by what's going on. >> i am outraged and i think that there are a lot of facts we still need to know the ongoing investigation. but certainly the mental health aspect of this senseless horrific tragedy ought to be front and center and a basis for action. this mass tragedy another in a series that you've covered, wolf and you and i were together in sandy hook ought to be a call to action. of course, attention to the military contractors. these civilian employees sometimes with questionable qualifications and background ought to be overseen and

scrutinized more completely and comprehensively and vigorously. i think there is an area where outrage is certainly the right emotion. >> here's another thing that and you're a veteran that bothers me. he was cited for misconduct when he was in the navy eight times, but he receives an honorable discharge, not a general discharge, not dishonorable, but an honorable discharge. can you explain that? >> again, there are facts we'll need to know before we draw conclusions, but the question of whether an honorable discharge was justified here and the consequences of that honorable discharge in enabling him to have the position of trust that gave him clearance, whethering that security badge enabled him to have access to this facility is still an open question. how he got the weapon that he used initially, whether it was a shotgun, all of these questions come back to some fundamental facts we need to know.

but overriding here, there ought to be a call to action. dr. orlowski yesterday at the washington medical center i think put it best. if we don't do something, shame on us. i'm hoping that my colleagues will be shaken by how close physically this mass shooting was to them. we had to lockdown the senate for a period of a couple of hours. every one of us ought to feel that our lives are touched by it. >> i know when we met in newtown under horrible circumstances at the massacre at the sandy hook elementary school, i think you thought there would be a decent chance there would be stricter gun control legislation enacted. that hasn't happened. certainly hasn't happened in the house of representatives. what are the prospects from your standpoint of tighter gun laws going forward in the aftermath of what happened in washington yesterday? >> i think mental health and an

initiative to provide more mental health care and opportunities for preventive action ought to be the centerpiece of what we do going forward. clearly, that is a common theme to sandy hook, as you know, from covering adam lanza and the background there, and this tragedy involving somebody who clearly was severely troubled, if not disturbed mentally. and so i think background checks combined with mental health, there are ways to bring together the political consensus that we need and after all, 90% or more of the american people support these common sense initiatives. many gun owners and in fact many nra members themselves. my hope is by the end of the year or certainly by the end of this session, we will have some kind of common sense measure. ecame so close. 55 votes there. and we needed 60. majority of the senate were ready to vote and 54 did vote

for background checks. so i'd like to see those measures come back. >> yeah, it's a -- i'm sure it's a tougher bat willing in the house, as well. but as you say, you got votes, not enough to beat a filibuster in the senate. senator, thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you, wolf. during the chaos of yesterday's attack at the navy yard here in washington, many families waited for hours to find out if loved ones were okay. up next, we're going to show you some of the emotional reunions. humans. even when we cross our "ts" and dot our "i's", we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness with our auto policies. if you qualify, your rates won't go up due to your first accident. because making mistakes is only human, and so are we. we also offer new car replacement, so if you total your new car, we'll give you the money for a new one.

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navy yard workers arrived at washington nationals park where police set up a staging area. it's only a few blocks from the navy yard. some had to wait for hours to hear about their loved ones inside the navy yard. chris van cleve of station wjla caught up with some families as they reunited. >> tears of joy meet sobs of relief monday evening as trisina reunited with her husband william after spending the day locked down inside a navy yard office building. a touching reunion for the newlyweds after hours of fearing the worst. >> it's been a rough day.

>> how good does it feel to be taking her home? >> really. >> witnesses from building 197 told d.c. police detectives what they saw. >> la wan dab brown heard the shots and got out. she's the mom of wide receiver josh morgan who had been trying to reach her all day. she left her cell phone in her office. >> the next thing that i heard was five more shots. the captain that was in the office said come on, ma'am, let's go. >> chris van cleve of affiliate station wjla here in washington reporting. many victims obviously shaken by the horror of the day saying they were simply so glad and relieved the day was over. evacuees in colorado are starting to return home after devastating floods. some are finding nothing left at all. we'll have the latest on the damage next. ♪ [ jen garner ] what skincare brand is so effective... so trusted... so clinically proven

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the state have been damaged. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in washington. join me again 3:00 p.m. eastern in the "newsroom" later 5:00 p.m. eastern in "the situation room." jake tapper and brooke baldwin pick up coverage right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> wolf, thank you so much. we're live in washington. this is special live coverage of this tragedy that struck blocks away from us here at the washington navy yard here in the nation's capital. i'm brooke baldwin. >> i'm jake tapper. police search for a motive as new details emerge about the deadly shooting rampage, but we may never really know why a gunman killed 12 people and wounded eight others. >> we're learning new details today. here is the latest exactly as far as what we know beginning with law enforcement sources say the gunman it, aaron alexis, recently